Tag Archives: brand pages

It may not be something you would be thinking of when naming your new brand but a useful tip if you have yet to decide, is to search Google for instances of your proposed brand. If it’s unique and available then the next stage is to check whether the .com and .co.uk domain reg is available.

Don’t take it for granted that because Google didn’t find it, that it’s available, many people (like us!) buy domains on a whim after coming up with an idea and either sit on the name or ‘speculate’ (ie: hold on to the name for a while in the hope that it becomes valuable).

Make no mistake, having your own domain name is an essential part of your online branding and with a .com costing around £10 a year, you really have no excuse for not owning one!Owning your own domain name and having your own website adds value to your brand and is also added security for your data (because you own it, not someone else).

One crucial bit of advice, keep your hands on control of your domain name at all times. Do not give administrative powers or ownership to a third party. Many a sad story has been told about somebody losing their domain name usually by forgetting to renew (put it on auto!) but also by giving admin powers to some fly-by-night webhost, web designer or angry ex-manager. If someone other than you can get access to your domain DNS you could be asking for trouble, so keep those logins safe!

Until this week, Google + was restricted to personal use, being a true “social” network allowing users to share content with their friends on a personal level. As of Monday 7th November 2011, business are able to add their own Brand pages on Google + which will allow users to follow updates from the business much like Facebook fan pages.

Mashable experts claim that these pages will be more effective than facebook, because Google has over 60% share of the search market and no doubt will be paying high regard to it’s own social media service. A Google + brand page is another way to complement your business’s social media footprint, and should be utilised where possible.